Multi-Contrast 3D Whole-Heart MRI for Intramyocardial Hemorrhage Stage Assessment in Patients with Myocardial Infarction

Motivation: Intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) staging can serve as a valuable reference point when exploring treatment options for this condition, but methodsfor detecting IMH staging has not been fully examined. Goal(s): This study investigated whether BOOST, a novel iNAV-based free-breathing, multi-contrast 3D whole-heart MRI sequence could detect and stage IMH. Approach: The efficacy of BOOST in diagnosing and staging IMH were compared with the performances of conventional T2* sequences. Results: BOOST, used for IMH detection at 3T, demonstrates superior sensitivity and specificity, along with good quantitative consistency, relative to T2* alone. Additionally, BOOST has substantial potential for IMH staging. Impact: The BOOST sequence can be used for future IMH staging, which will facilitate precise multi-dimensional IMH assessment, ultimately enabling accurate and targeted IMH treatment.